A Separate Mind
by QueenOfTheYaoi
Summary: Sora is awake again, but who is this voice in his head?  He discovers that Roxas is still alive.  Time passes, Roxas and Sora grow close, and Sora wants to do whatever he can to make Roxas happy, even if it kills him.  SoraXRoxas, possible yaoi later.
1. Making the Plan

Sora sighed as he walked through the streets of Radiant Gardens. It had been forever since he'd had the chance to relax. Leon was hounding him to help out the restoration committee. Normally he was happy to help, but recently, he had too much on his mind to do much of anything. Sora sighed again and sat under the shade of a tree, letting his eyes slip shut.

_Being lazy again, eh Sora?_

Sora's eyes opened again. He groaned at the internal voice he had come to know so well.

"No, mother, just taking a break." Sora replied. He heard Roxas laugh.

_Yeah, you'll take a break, close your eyes, and fall asleep. And then you won't do your work, get yelled at by Leon, and be given even more work as punishment. _Sora rolled his eyes.

"So what? I'll get around to it." Roxas sighed.

_It really isn't fair…_

"Hm? What's not?"

_I gave up my body, my life, for someone who barely uses his own now that he has it back. _The sadness that laced the words made Sora feel guilty. Roxas was right. He had given up everything he had just so Sora could wake up. He had died so Sora would live. Well…sort of died. When they became one, Roxas was supposed to disappear. But that obviously didn't happen. Sora could still hear Roxas. At first, it was just when he was about to do something stupid. Roxas would warn him, talk him out of it. Sora had mistaken it as his own conscience. But the more he heard the voice, the more he realized that it wasn't his own. Sora looked down at his hands.

"I know, I'm sorry. But you really didn't have a choice, right? It was gonna happen one way or another. Somehow you would've rejoined with me, whether it was of your own will or not."

_Yeah, I guess…You don't get it, though. Ever since, I've been seeing everything through your eyes. Hearing your thoughts. You have no idea how it feels to…not feel like yourself anymore. _Sora buried his face in his palms and gave an internal answer.

_I know you don't like it. I know it's not fair. And I know it hurts. And if I could make it any other way, you know I would. _Roxas rolled his eyes.

_No you wouldn't. You would much rather keep me where I am out of fear as to what would happen to you if I disappeared. _Sora brought his face out of his hands and glared slightly at nothing in particular. After all, he can't glare at himself, but hell if he wouldn't try.

_But you were supposed to disappear! Your consciousness was supposed to be_ _engulfed my mine! How in hell we're actually sitting here having this conversation still confuses me! _Roxas smirked and chuckled.

_So you want to be rid of me? _Sora sighed.

"You know that's not what I meant. I'm glad you're still alive. Not so happy about the fact that we share a brain, though…" Roxas laughed again.

_What, you got something in here you don't want me to see?_

"What? N-no! Of course not!"

_Haha, don't worry, I won't look. You're usually empty headed, anyway. _Sora smiled thankfully before realizing he had been insulted.

"Hmph…"

_Aw c'mon, don't hmph at me. You had it coming! _Now Sora laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I did." He sighed heavily. "I wish I had met you for real. I bet we would've been great friends. I mean, come on, I don't even know what you looked like. Namine said you looked a little like Cloud, but it's really hard to imagine…" A lightbulb popped up over his head. "NAMINE!" Roxas raised an eyebrow.

_Hm? Namine what?_

"Namine! Namine's a witch and stuff, right? Maybe she can think of something!"

_You mean to get us separate? Sora, that's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard._

"Well at least I'm thinking! You're mean, you know that?"

_You think I'm mean? I'm not mean, AN ANGRY LEONHART is mean. Look up, stupid._ Sora growled at Roxas before looking up and seeing a fuming Leon towering over him.

"Is there a reason you're sitting here talking to yourself instead of doing what I asked you to do?"

"L-Leon! I was…just…taking a break."

"Riiiight. Well, break's over, Sora. C'mon, time to start working." Leon held a hand out, which Sora grabbed. He pulled himself up and followed Leon towards his office to help with damage reports and such.

.o.O.o.

"Ughhh, my hand is broken…" Sora complained as he walked toward Cid's garage. Roxas raised an eyebrow.

_Two hours of paperwork and your hand is already cramping? Lightweight._

"Hey, I did a lot of writing in those two hours!"

_You finished four reports to Leonhart's fifteen._

"Yeah, but Leon's a workaholic!"

_Well, can't argue with that. Guy really needs to relax and get himself laid. Where are you going, anyway? Isn't the castle the other way? _Sora turned pink at Roxas's blunt language.

"Yeah, but I'm going to Cid's place and borrowing a gummiship."

_So you're really gonna ask Namine about this?_

"Uh huh. What's wrong with that? Don't you want to be separate from me?"

_Of course I do, but then what happens to you? When we were separate before, you were unconscious. You didn't wake up until after I rejoined you. If I leave…_

"I don't care. You hate being stuck in my head. It isn't fair. You deserve your life back." Roxas sighed. Would he even have a life if he was separate from Sora? He could feel emotions now because he was one with him. Sora's heart was his heart, too. That's all he had wanted before. But would he have an actual life? With friends? Axel was gone, and as far as Roxas was concerned, no one could replace him. Axel had died for Sora, and also for Roxas. Axel knew that he was still alive somehow. Roxas had watched through Sora's eyes as Axel disappeared. And Roxas had cried. Sora sighed. "You will have a life, because you'll always have me. And I know you miss Axel. I do, too." Roxas sighed now, too. He had forgotten that Sora could hear his thoughts. The brunette grinned. "Yeah, think of it like that. If we're separate, I won't be able to hear your thoughts anymore!" Roxas smirked.

_Yeah, I can freely think insults about you._

"Hmph! Well I never!" Sora said, putting on an exaggerated face of offence. Roxas groaned.

_Aww, you know I'm kidding. _Sora smiled.

"Yeah, I know." The brunette walked casually through Cid's open garage door. "Mr. Highwind!" No answer. "…Cid?"

"Up here, smallfry!" Cid yelled. Sora followed the voice and saw Cid hanging his head out of an open panel of one of the various ships parked in the garage's landing bay. He gave Sora a two-fingered salute, losing his balance and falling out in the process. The blonde in question landed straight on his ass and muttered out a string of profanities, some of which Sora didn't even recognize as English. He stood and rubbed his ass. "Damn that hurt like a bitch…" As if he remembered the brunette's presence at that moment, he blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, ya didn't see that, got it?" Sora giggled.

"Right, didn't see anything." Sora replied. _Cept you falling flat on your ass. _He internally added. Roxas chuckled.

_You sure it's safe to fly the stuff he built?_

_As sure as I am that Leon and Cloud are gay for each other._

_But nobody knows that for sure yet._

_Exactly._ Sora looked at Cid, who had gotten on the task of figuring out how to get back up to where he was without using very long ladder. "Hey Cid, is it okay if I borrow a Gummiship?"

"That depends on where the hell yer goin'."

"Going to Twilight Town to see Namine."

"Twilight Town, eh? Sure, ship's all yers. _BUT_, the silver haired punk has to drive." Sora shuddered at the thought. If Riku had to tag along, then he would have to explain to him what they were going to be doing. And knowing Riku, he would not be very happy with the idea of Roxas and Sora being split again.

"Why can't I fly it? You taught me how yourself!"

"Yeah, I did, but yer goin' pretty far away. Sorry Sora, don't really trust ya with drivin' one of my babies fer that long."

"Aww. Why Riku though?"

"What can I say, smallfry? That little punk and Chocobo-head over there are the best drivers, besides yers truly." Cid gestured to the part of the garage where Cloud kept and worked on his motorcycle. "I can't take ya, and he's too busy bein' dragged along with the girls to do too much of nothin' right now, so that leaves yer buddy." Cid pulled out his phone and dialed Riku's number. Sora continued to grimace at the idea of Riku flipping out when he finds out what they're doing.

_What's the big deal? Does your friend hate me or something? _Roxas said, eyebrow raised.Sora sighed.

_S'not that he doesn't like you. He does, cause without you I never would've woken up. I just don't think he'd be too fond of the idea of us being separate again. He doesn't like uncertainty. _Roxas shrugged his shoulders.

_Life isn't life without a pinch of uncertainty here and there. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith. _Sora groaned.

_Yeah, if only you could tell him that._

_But since I can't, you gotta tell him for me._

_He doesn't know that I still hear you. No one does._

_And why's that? Afraid they won't believe you? You think they'll toss you in the loony bin? If they really were your friends, they would believe you. And you already belong in the loony bin with how hyper you are, even without sugar or coffee. _The brunette sighed. How did Roxas do that? How was he able to make perfect sense when Sora couldn't even begin to figure it out? For two guys who were supposed to be the same person, they had more differences than Sora could count. But he didn't mind. He liked that they were so different. It made it so Sora never got bored with their internal arguments. Sora heard Roxas scoff. _So glad I amuse you. _Sora chuckled softly.

_Don't take it the wrong way, Roxy. I just think our conversations are really funny._

_Roxy?_

_Yes, Roxy._ Roxas growled at the brunette. Sora laughed as quietly as he could. Cid was still talking to Riku. _Since you can't smack me for it, Roxy, Roxy, Roxy, Foxy Roxy._ Roxas blushed and growled again.

_If Namine separates us, you are so getting strangled._

_Ha! As if! I'm like your twin, you can't hurt me!_

_The hell I can't!_

_It isn't nice to hurt those you care about, Roxy._

_It's a good thing I hate you then, isn't it?_

_Ooh, that's cold, man._

_Grr, I'll show you cold you little- _Roxas shut up when he heard Cid close the cell phone and slip it back into his pocket.

"Alrighty smallfry, Riku's comin' here in a few minutes to take ya to Twilight Town. Just get in the ship and wait for em'." Sora nodded.

"Kay, thanks Cid."

"No problemo, seeya later smallfry. Don't get yerself into too much trouble, got it?"

"Yezzir Mr. Highwind sir." Sora said with a giggle. Cid rolled his eyes and got back to the task at hand of figuring out how to get back up to the panel under the ship. Sora walked into one of the Gummiships, plopping down in one of the back seats. He yawned and stretched.

_So, what do you think things will be like if we do get separated?_ Roxas asked quietly. He was still a bit concerned about what would become of them. Would Sora fall unconscious again? Would he never have emotions again? Roxas wasn't sure.

_I dunno exactly. Best case scenario, we get separated and live as our own person, with our emotions and memories in tact. Worst case scenario…_ Roxas and Sora cringed in unison. Sora didn't want to lose Roxas. And much to his chagrin, Roxas didn't really want to lose Sora, either.

_Let's just hope Namine can do something about it. She brought us together, who's to say she can't cut us apart, too? _Roxas said with a solemn nod. Sora laughed.

_You're making her sound like a matchmaker. _Roxas just shrugged_._

_I think all girls have an inner matchmaker just waiting to find two of their friends to pair up. _Now they both laughed. Sora heard footsteps coming towards him.

"Hey Sora, you ready to go?" Riku yelled.

"Yup, all set!" Sora replied, smiling. Roxas sighed.

_Yeah, we're all set. Question is, set for what?_


	2. Separation Anexiety

Riku raised an eyebrow as he walked down the road towards Namine's mansion, Sora in tow. Sora had been almost completely silent on the way there, besides the occasional question of "How much longer?", but even that had lost the bored tone it usually had. What was up with him?

"Uh, Sora, you okay?" The silver haired teen asked quietly. Sora stopped dead in his tracks. Riku could swear he heard the brunette gulp. The younger teen turned to look at his friend.

"Sure, right as rain. Totally good." Roxas facepalmed himself.

_Dammit Sora, you are a __terrible__ liar!_

_I know, I know! It's not my fault, I'm too good natured to lie!_

_Dude, that's no excuse! All teenagers know how to lie!_

_Well, not me!_ Riku put his hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Come on Sora, something's wrong with you, I can tell. What's up? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"…" Sora let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know, I'm just trying to gauge your reaction."

_And it's not gauging in the positives. _Roxas added, even though he knew Riku couldn't hear him. Riku furrowed his brow in concern.

"Does it have anything to do with why you're going to see Namine all of a sudden?"

"Yeah…there's something I have to ask her about."

"Like?" Roxas sighed.

_Sora, just tell him. Please, I don't like feeling like your dirty little secret._

_But what if he flips his lid over it and says I can't?_

_First of all, who is he to tell you what you can and can't do? And second, you know he's gonna freak. There's no 'if' about it. I just don't want to feel like the skeleton in your closet. He's gonna tell you not to. But you have to decide, right now, if us being separated is what you really want. If it is, make that clear to him. If it isn't…then just go home._

_But what about what you want?_

_If it were up to me, I'd have my body back, hopefully with a heart. But you know just as well as I do that __IF__ Namine can divide us, there could be side effects. _Sora shivered nervously. He knew Roxas was right. There could be consequences to them living apart. He could go back to 'sleep' or Roxas could be an emotionless shell. Or they could go and have Namine tell them there was no way for them to be separated. Or, even worse still, they could get separated, only to have one fade away. Most likely Roxas. Sora cringed at the thought. He liked Roxas. Liked talking to him about random stuff out of boredom, or Roxas trying to talk sense into him when he was about to do something really stupid and possibly maim himself, or just listening to the blonde rant. He just liked _Roxas_. And it killed him inside, knowing that Roxas was hurting because of him. The brunette took a deep breath.

_Do or die time, eh Roxas… _The brunette whispered mentally._  
_

"Riku…do you remember how I woke up?" Riku raised an eyebrow at the random question.

"Yeah, your nobody went to Namine and she fused his mind, and your memories, with your mind. Or…something along those lines." Riku hadn't really been paying attention when it was explained to him how Sora had woken up. He was too busy being ecstatic that his best friend was awake again.

"Well…when she brought us together, he didn't go away."

"What do you mean?" Sora was quiet for several moments. He looked nervously at his feet.

"…My nobody is still alive. In my body. And I can still hear him." Riku stared at the brunette, wide eyed. Had he really just heard that right?

"…Hear him?"

"I hear his voice in my head." The silver haired teen blinked several times.

"So you're going to Namine so she can get rid of his consciousness?"

"Um…No. Now here's the thing…I want Namine to separate us."

"…Define 'separate'." Sora scratched the back of his head, still not able to look Riku in the eyes.

"I want Namine to take him out of my body and put him into his own." The brunette whispered. He finally willed himself to look up and saw several different emotions flash across his best friend's face. None of them were sympathy or understanding. Riku, face now settling on upset, grabbed Sora's wrist and pulled him in the direction of the mansion. Sora let out a quiet sigh.

_I knew he wouldn't understand…_

_You knew and yet you still told him. Thanks for that, Sora. _Sora smiled weakly.

_You're welcome. And I'm sorry it took me so long._

_Hey, as long as you did it, everything's fine._

_Uh huh. _Sora sighed again. _But I have the feeling things won't be so fine when we get to the mansion._

.o.O.o.

"NAMINE!" Riku yelled as he walked into Namine's drawing room, still dragging Sora (whom had given up on struggling and had just let himself get dragged) behind him. Namine was sitting on a white lounge chair sketching. She looked up at her two visitors, a puzzled look on her face.

"Sora? Riku? What brings you here?"

"It isn't what brings me here, it's what brings him here! Namine, when you took Sora's memories out of Roxas, what happened to him?"

"Well, Roxas in a way became a part of the memories and merged with Sora along with them. Why?"

"Sora's saying he can still hear him!" Namine's eyes went wide for a moment as she looked at Sora.

"Is that true? You can really still hear Roxas?" Sora nodded.

"Uh huh. Crystal clear."

_Yeah, but he rarely listens. _Roxas said with a snicker.

_Seriously not the time, Roxas! And I do too listen…_ Namine cleared her throat.

"Well, that's an unexpected side effect. So you're telling me that Roxas's consciousness is still within you?"

"Basically, yeah." Riku shook his head.

"Ooh, that's not the worst part, either. Sora, tell her." The brunette gulped nervously. He had never heard Riku sound so…serious.

"Well, I was wondering if there was a way that you could…maybe…separate us…?" Namine blinked several times.

"Define 'separate'."

"Like, make it so we both have our own bodies and minds." Namine put a finger to her chin and was silent.

"…No." Riku smirked.

"Aww, too bad. Looks like Roxas is just gonna have to stay a part of you." The silver haired teen muttered in fake disappointment. The blonde shook her head.

"No, Riku, that's not what I mean. I might have a way to get them apart, but I won't do it."

"What? Why?" Sora said in a shocked tone. Namine stood and looked the brunette in the eyes.

"Sora, when Roxas was apart from you before, he was channeling your memories. Who's to say the same thing won't happen again?"

"But that was when my memories were scattered and you were trying to piece it together! My memory is complete now, there's nothing for him to channel!" Namine still looked paranoid.

"And what if one of you becomes unstable after you've split? Roxas might very well fade away into nothingness, and you could just as easily slip into unconsciousness without him completing you."

"I don't care what happens to me, Namine!"

"You don't care? You _don't care_? Well even if you don't, I do care, and I'm not letting you rip yourself apart over him!" Riku interrupted before Namine got the chance to say anything. Sora gave Riku one of the most menacing glares he'd ever given anyone.

"Well guess what Riku, it isn't your decision, it's mine and Roxas's, so butt out." Riku's and Namine's, as well as Roxas's, eyes went wide. Roxas gave a proud smile. He did tell Sora to make it clear. And that was pretty damn clear. Riku huffed.

"You're my best friend, Sora! I don't want to risk losing you again just so Roxas can have his body back!" Sora looked at Riku and gave a small smile.

"I swear, I'll be fine."

_You don't know that though._

_Shuuuush! You. Are. Not. Helping!_

_I'm not trying to help, I'm trying to make sure you know everything before you go and do something stupid. Your friends are right, you don't know what could happen._

_I don't care! If anything happens as a side effect, I'll deal with it! Nothing will happen! _Roxas let out a sigh.

_You're a stubborn pain in the ass, you know that?_

_Yeah, and you make me wanna shoot myself in the head, you know that?_

_Yup._

_And there's your answer. _Sora turned back to Namine. His eyes were pleading for her to understand.

"Namine, please. He's been stuck in my mind ever since I woke up. He doesn't like it. He didn't deserve it! It isn't fair! And I know you know it isn't fair, too! He didn't know what he was doing! He didn't know he was stealing my memories, or what Xemnas was really planning to do with the hearts he collected! Roxas was totally innocent, and you know just as well as I do that he doesn't deserve to be stuck in my head, never to be able to do anything ever again but watch the world through my eyes!" Sora clenched his fists and wiped at the tears that had started running down his cheeks. "He didn't deserve it…He's hurting, Namine…And it's all my fault…I took his life away from him…Not only that, he had to watch his best friend die…It isn't fair…" The sight of Sora's tears made Riku freeze. Was he that serious? Was he that willing to jump into the unknown for someone who he had never physically met? He couldn't wrap his head around it. But that was just how Sora was. He helped anyone who needed it, whether he knew them or not. The older teen put a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"If Namine does it, there's no telling what will happen to you." Sora covered Riku's hand with his own and looked up at him.

"Life isn't life without a pinch of uncertainty here and there. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith." The brunette smiled as he repeated the words Roxas had said a few hours earlier. Roxas smirked.

_Well, that sounded awfully familiar. _Sora held back a small chuckle.

_It's true though, isn't it? _Roxas gave a knowing nod.

_Yup. _The brunette looked back at Namine.

"Please, Namine? If not for me, then for Roxas. And if not for him…just for doing what's right." Namine sighed and gave a slight nod.

"…Alright, I'll do it." Sora smiled widely and gave Namine a tight hug.

"Thanks, Namine."

"You're welcome." Namine stood and opened her sketchbook, pulling out two clean pages. She wrapped a page around each forearm. The two boys watched in amazement as the paper began to meld with Namine's skin. After a murmer of a few words that neither Riku nor Sora could understand, her forearms began to glow. One glowed hot pink, like the hearts that heartless release. The other glowed black, like the shadows. "Face the wall, close your eyes, and take a deep breath. This might hurt." Sora did as he was told. Namine walked behind him. Before Sora could release the breath he took, Namine thrusted both hands through the brunette's back and into his chest. Sora clenched his teeth and resisted the urge to scream in agony. The blonde moved her hands apart, pushed them all the way through Sora's body, and pulled them out again. Amazingly, there was no blood, no rip in the fabric of his clothes, and no hole in his chest when she removed her hands. Sora felt dizzy, like his internal organs were playing twister, but somehow remained upright. When his vision cleared of the splotches of white blinding him, he looked down and locked gazes with a pair of shocked blue eyes identical to his own.

"Rox…as…?" Sora said in a husky voice. He was still breathing heavily from the initial shock.

"S…Sora…?" Roxas muttered, not in any better condition than Sora. Sora smiled softly before a realization shocked him back into complete awareness.

"Roxas, you're naked!"

"…I am?" The blonde looked down at himself. "Oh crap, I am!" Roxas crossed his knees and blushed. Namine giggled and gave Roxas a robe. He slipped it on and stood.

"Good to see you again, Roxas." She said sweetly. It was a big relief to her to see that there were no immediate side effects to them being separated. Roxas raised an eyebrow at her.

"Naked though?" Namine shrugged.

"That wasn't my doing. I'll give you a call when I learn how to divide clothes along with bodies. Speaking of clothes, I think your old ones are around here somewhere…" Namine walked off to find Roxas's white and black outfit. Sora and Roxas continued to look at each other.

_Huh. Pretty good looking. _They thought at the same time. Their eyes widened.

"Oh crap, I can still hear you!" Roxas yelled, eyebrows nearly disappearing into his hairline.

"So can I!" Sora replied. They stood there in shock for a few moments.

"…Good looking?" The two said in unison again, also wearing the same sly smirk. Riku was just standing there staring, dumbfounded. Namine had actually done it. They were two different people again. He should be happy. Sora got what he wanted. So did Roxas. But no matter how he looked at it, Roxas was a threat at the moment. He glared silently at the blonde. Roxas turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"You need something there, Silver?" Riku's glare deepened.

"I don't know what the hell you did to make Sora want to get you out of him, but I swear, if anything bad starts happening to Sora, you're rejoining with him." Roxas glared even fiercer than Riku. He took slow steps forward until the older boy was back against a wall. He jabbed a finger into his chest.

"You listen, and you listen good. I didn't do jack shit to Sora but tell him the honest truth about what I was going through. He felt sympathetic for me. The whole damn thing was his idea. And the whole time he was giving you a verbal ass whooping, I was trying to get him to realize the consequences of us being apart. But he didn't listen, and here I am. And now that I am here, deal with it, because I ain't leaving anytime soon." They glared at each other for a few more moments before Riku rolled his eyes and looked to the side at nothing in particular.

"Tch, whatever." Sora smiled a bit. How was Roxas always able to do that? He looked so young and kind and innocent, when in reality he was a smartass. But underneath the smart mouth, Roxas really was a sweet kid. Namine returned and handed Roxas a stack of clothing. The blonde left for the bathroom. Namine looked at the newly ticked off Riku.

"…What happened to him?" Sora snickered.

"Let's just say that Roxas is very good at defending himself when he needs to."

.o.O.o.

A/N- I'm thinking about turning this into a SoraXRoxas yaoi. not sure yet, it could either be some hard and heavy stuff or just stay as a comedy. so review and tell me what you think, kay? oh, and I got curious about which Kingdom Hearts characters were popular nowadays, so I put a poll up on my profile. Cookies and milkshakes to all who take it! :D


	3. Eavesdropping for Regret

A few hours and several examinations and questions from Namine later, all three teens were headed back to Radiant Gardens on the Gummiship. Sora and Roxas glanced at each other, then back at Riku. He had been dead silent ever since Roxas had told him off. Not to say he didn't deserve to be told off, of course. He did, for accusing Roxas of manipulating Sora to escape his mind. But neither the blonde nor the brunette deserved to be getting the silent treatment. Roxas let out a soft sigh.

_Maybe you should go talk to him._

_Talk to him? Why?_

_Isn't it obvious? He's upset._

_He's upset because I chose to get us separated. If he doesn't approve of my decision…our decision…then what's there to say? I'm sorry? Because honestly, I don't regret it at all. _Roxas couldn't help but give a small smile. He was glad that Sora didn't regret his decision. Regret _him_.

_He was just worried about you, though. At least go and tell him you appreciate the concern._

…_Yeah, I guess you're right._ The blonde patted Sora's back.

"Attaboy, now go get him to crack a smile or something." Sora laughed softly. Honestly, he had been a bit paranoid about the whole thing himself. Riku and Roxas raised good points. Something bad could've happened. Hell, something bad could still happen. But when he had met Roxas, actually _met_ Roxas, how could he regret it? The blonde had gained a second chance at life. And who knows? Maybe he had gained something, too. The brunette stood and walked to Riku's room. The ship was on autopilot at the moment, so the silver haired teen had decided to catch a few Z's before they got back to the Gardens. Sora cracked the door open and peered his head through. Riku was lying in his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey, Ri, can I come in?" Riku sighed.

"You would come in even if I said no, so sure." Sora shot him a goofy grin and walked in, closing the door behind him. He sat at the foot of Riku's bed. "Need something?" The brunette was flooded with sadness at the sound of his best friend's voice. It was so…emotionless.

"Are you…mad at me?" Sora asked, uncertain of whether or not he really wanted to hear the answer. Riku had been his best friend since they were little kids. Sora didn't know if he could handle having Riku upset at him. Riku sat up and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, just a little bit." He furrowed his brow and looked at Sora with sharp eyes. "Sora, what in hell were you thinking?"

"What do you mean, 'what was I thinking'?"

"Do you have any idea what could happen now that Roxas isn't a part of you? Sora groaned. Riku and Roxas had pounded possible downsides into his brain. He was really sick of hearing them.

"Yes, I know what can happen. No, I don't care if something does happen to me."

"But _why_ don't you care?"

"Because Roxas deserves his life back! And if that means I have to deal with a few side effects, so be it." Riku raised an eyebrow. Sora was always like this. It was just in his nature to be self-sacrificing. But that didn't mean he had to approve of it.

"I don't get why you're putting your ass on the line for his. You don't even know him."

"Yes I do! At least to some extent. And I definitely know him a hell of a lot more than you do. Why do you hate him so much? He's a good guy!"

"A good guy? It's because of him that you were asleep for so long!"

"But it's not like he _knew_ that he was keeping me asleep! And when he found out, he went to Namine of his own free will! Would a bad guy have done that?"

"I guess not…but that doesn't change the fact that it was his fault that you were asleep for as long as you were."

"Hey, by now, I think we're even. He kept me asleep, I kept him locked in my mind. Fair trade. But now that trade is over." Riku looked down at his hands. Sora was right, and they both knew it. It wasn't really Roxas's fault, and he didn't deserve to suffer. But what about when _he_ was suffering? When he had to watch the days turn into weeks and into months with his best friend frozen in a pod, knowing full well there was little he could do to help short of kidnapping Roxas? And now Sora was at risk again. When was life going to be fair to _him_? The feeling of arms wrapping around him snapped him out of his internal banter. Riku looked at the brunette and buried his face in his palms.

"Sora…you just don't understand…"

"I understand more than you think. I'm sorry, okay? I know this puts you in a bad position. And I know you're just worried about me. I appreciate it, I really do. But I need you to trust me, Riku. Nothing. Will. Happen. To. Me. And if something _does_, I'll deal with it. Just…please, don't be mad at me. I did what I thought was right, and I don't regret it." Riku felt the arms tighten around him before letting him go, and he couldn't help but feel cold without them. He turned to the brunette, who had stood and was heading towards the door.

"…Sora." Sora, who had a hand on the doorknob, turned to look at his silver haired friend.

"Hmm?"

"Are you happy with the decision you made?" Sora looked down and gave a small smile.

"More than I would ever be able to explain." Riku ran his fingers through his hair again.

"That's what matters, I suppose. As long as you're happy with it, with him, I guess I'll just have to deal with it." The brunette smiled widely.

"Thanks, Ri." Sora opened the door and prepared to leave…

_THUMP!_

…only to have Roxas fall on top of him. Roxas looked up at Riku's shocked face and turned pink, a bead of sweat forming on the side of his head.

"Um…Hiya Riku." The blonde said, giving Riku a two-fingered salute.

"MMMMMPFF!" Sora yelled, muffled by Roxas's stomach over his face. Roxas rolled over onto his side. The brunette gasped. "Gods Roxas, that hurrrrrt!" He whined, rubbing his head.

"Right, sorry…" Roxas said with a smirk, secretly satisfied. Sora looked pretty cute when he winced like that.

_I hearrrrd thaaaat. _Sora thought in a singsong voice.

_You were suppooooosed tooooo. _Roxas mimicked. Sora pouted at the mockery of his voice. Riku was still trying to figure out exactly what he had just witnessed. He shook his head vigorously to clear his thoughts.

"Roxas, why were you standing outside my door?"

"…Looking for the bathroom?" Riku sweatdropped.

"Right, now tell me the real reason." Roxas sighed.

"I just wanted to make sure Sora was talking to you." Sora gave a victorious smile.

"Yup, we talked, and now Riku isn't mad anymore!"

"That's great, Sora. So, I'll just be going now…" Riku stood and grabbed the collar of Roxas's jacket, effectively keeping the blonde in place.

"No, stay. Sora, can we have a minute?" Sora shot Roxas a paranoid glance. The blonde shrugged.

_Before you ask, I got no clue what he wants._

_So do you want me to leave?_

_Go ahead. Whatever he wants to say, I doubt it's something your innocent little ears should be hearing. _Sora sent Roxas a glare before nodding and walking out of the room without another word, shutting the door behind him. Riku released his death grip on Roxas's collar and sat on the bed, motioning for the blonde to follow. The shorter sat where Sora had been sitting minutes earlier.

"Okay, now tell me the _real_ real reason." Roxas sighed.

"There's no getting one over on you, is there?"

"No, not really."

"I just…I wanted to know if Sora regretted his choice." Riku raised an eyebrow.

"I thought he already told you he didn't."

"He did, but he could've just been saying that so I wouldn't feel bad." Roxas gave another sigh and looked Riku dead in the eyes. "Look Riku, I swear, I didn't force him to ask Namine about separating us. Honestly, I was trying to talk him out of it. It's true, I hated being in his head, but it was bearable. At the very least, I had a heart to feel with. But he insisted on it. I know just as well as you do that us being apart could have negative side effects. I tried to tell him, he wouldn't listen. He was dead set on getting me out of him. And for a while, I thought he just wanted to get away from me. But…he isn't like that. He really wanted me to be happy. Please, don't hold that against him." Riku blinked several times. Maybe…had he been wrong? Maybe Roxas really was a good guy. Maybe he was just stuck in the past. Riku sighed and laid back in the bed.

"I think I owe you an apology."

"No, really, I- Wait…an _apology_? For?"

"For accusing you of playing with Sora's mind."

"I would never do that to him."

"Yeah, I get that now. I'm sorry I didn't earlier."

"S'okay." Roxas chuckled softly. "I guess that's kinda my fault. I don't exactly leave the best first impression, do I."

"Nope, not at all. On the other hand, most first impressions are wrong. When I first met Sora, I thought he looked smart."

"You calling him stupid?"

"Well, no, just…I think naïve is a better word. Roxas shrugged.

"Everyone's naïve in some way or another."

"Very true." Riku agreed, nodding. "So, we cool?" He held his hand out. Roxas stared it and smiled.

"Yeah, we're good." The blonde grabbed Riku's hand and shook it. Riku smirked.

"Y'know, by the looks of it, he's actually really fond of you. I doubt he would ever regret it."

"Let's hope not." Roxas opened the door…

_THUMP!_

…and ended up in the same position Sora had been in half an hour earlier. The brunette looked up at Riku and blushed.

"I was curious!"

"MMMMRRF!" Roxas yelled from underneath Sora. Sora stood and pulled Roxas to his feet. The blonde winced and rubbed his nose. "Dammit Sora, only I'm allowed to do that!"

"Do what, eavesdrop?"

"YES!"

"Says who?"

"Says me, because if you both started doing it, everyone would go insane." Riku interrupted before Roxas could answer. Sora pouted and stormed out of the room. Roxas and Riku sweatdropped. Riku sighed. "Well? Go get your boyfriend." Roxas sent Riku a glare.

"Does he even roll like that?" Riku shrugged.

"It's possible. He acts like it. Why don't you go ask him?" Roxas rolled his eyes and left to search for the annoyed brunette. Riku chuckled softly. "What a pair those two are…" He said before coming to a realization. He shivered and facepalmed himself. He was starting to sound like Yuffie…


	4. Meetings

Roxas gulped as Riku prepared to land the Gummiship. Sora raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

"You okay?"

"Peachy." Roxas answered in a sarcastic tone. The brunette rolled his eyes and gave Roxas a concerned look.

"C'mon, what're you thinking about?" Roxas smirked.

"As if you can't just dive into my head and find out." Sora shot him an 'I'm not kidding' face and the blonde sighed. "Meeting everyone, their reactions, getting accustomed to my body again, et cetera, et cetera." Sora gave a small chuckle and patted Roxas's shoulder.

"You have nothing to worry about. You'll adjust in no time." The blonde sighed.

"I hope so." Cid opened the door to the landing bay and waved Riku in. Riku landed the ship and got up to leave, Sora following. Roxas stayed in his seat. "…Still very reluctant." Sora rolled his eyes and grabbed the blonde's hand.

"It'll be fine. But a few quick warnings, Leon will put you to work, Yuffie will be a perv, Tifa won't give you anything with alcohol in it until you're sixteen, Cid's a grease monkey, Aerith is overprotective, and Cloud randomly comes and goes."

"Wow, a castle full of colorful characters."

"Yup!" The brunette gave Roxas's arm a tug. "You'll fit in great."

"Is that an insult?"

"Depends on how you look at it, now c'mon!" Roxas sighed and let himself be dragged off by the overexcited brunette. Minutes later, they were off the ship. Sora, still dragging Roxas behind him, walked up to Cid.

"Hiya, Cid." Cid turned from his worktable to look at the brunette. He lifted his goggles to his hairline.

"Welcome back, smallfry." He said, ruffling Sora's spikes. "Good trip?"

"Yup! Really good. Riku got told off!" Cid chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Who was the lucky bastard that got ta put the punk in 'is place?" Sora grinned and stepped aside, giving the older blonde a clear view of Roxas. Cid blinked, rubbed his eyes, and blinked again. Roxas glared at Sora, but managed to keep his mouth shut. His mind, on the other hand, was a different story.

_SORA!_

_What?_

_Why'd you do that?_

_Do what, move? He woulda seen you eventually!_

_But couldn't you have taken me to see Aerith first?_

_Why?_

_Because she's the nice one!_

_Well, I didn't think of it! _Back in reality, Cid was trying to figure out exactly what…well, _who_, he was seeing.

"Who's yer friend, smallfry?" Sora scratched the back of his head.

"Uh…how to explain…he's me, kind of. My nobody."

"…Yer nobody…?" Cid scratched his temple as he tried to remember what a nobody was. When he did remember, his eyes went wide. He looked the smaller blonde over. "So this is the punk that Namine joined with ya?"

"Basically."

"Hmm…" Cid continued to examine Roxas. Roxas gulped. Then the older blonde patted his shoulder and laughed. "Haha, if that's the case, then I guess I should be thankin' ya, blondie!" Roxas raised an eyebrow.

"First, please don't call me blondie. Call me Roxas. And for what?"

"If it wasn't for you, this kid's careless ass would still be asleep." Cid said, gesturing to Sora. Sora dawned an offended expression, complete with a hand on his chest and a gasp.

"I am _not_ careless!"

"Yes you are." Cid and Roxas said at the same time. They looked at each other and chuckled. Cid patted Roxas's shoulder again.

"Heh, I like you, Roxas. Ya got nerve."

"Thanks."

"So, how long's he stickin' around?" Cid was still looking Roxas over, but Sora knew the question was addressed to him.

"Uh…permanently?"

"Permanantly, eh?" Cid questioned. Sora gave the blonde a small nod of confirmation. "Heh, looks like I got myself another brat to teach."

"Teach?" Roxas said, raising an eyebrow at Sora. Sora grinned at Roxas's confused expression.

"I told you, Cid's the resident grease monkey. He built everything in here. And he taught everyone how to fly. So now he has to teach you."

"So I get to fly one of these monsters?"

"Yup."

"Cooool." Sora laughed and grabbed Roxas's arm.

"You still got a lot of people to meet, so let's get going, kay? Seeya later, Cid!"

"Seeya smallfry, pipsqueak." The brunette pulled the blonde out of the garage and into the castle. Cid returned to fiddling with the engine part on the workbench before a realization hit. "…Grease monkey?" He chuckled. "Real nice."

.o.O.o.

Roxas looked around as he continued to be pulled along by the brunette. He had to admit, the castle was pretty cool looking. It seemed like a good place to live. They had passed bedrooms, bathrooms, libraries, offices, and lounge rooms. But where exactly was Sora dragging him?

_Uh, Sora, where are we going?_

_You said you wanted to meet Aerith, right?_

_Right._

_Well then we're going to the garden._

…_This place has a garden?_

_Roxas, this place has __everything__._

_True. _Sora opened a glass door and walked into a gigantic garden. Various colors of small rosebushes lined a paved path that cut straight through the middle of the garden. To the left of the path were fruits, vegetables, and spices. To the right were several different types of flowers in every color imaginable. Roxas stared, awestruck. How on earth did one girl take care of all this and still manage to cook, clean, and play babysitter to everyone else? Sora quickly found Aerith crouched over a saffron plant. Surprisingly, Tifa and Yuffie were also with her. The brunette walked up to the girls, still pulling Roxas behind him.

"Hey Aerith, Yuffie, Tifa!" The three turned to the brunette. Aerith smiled and gave him a hug.

"Welcome home, sweetie." Yuffie and Tifa walked up and gave Sora hugs too.

"Hi there, squirt!" Yuffie said, giggling.

"Good to see you back in one piece, Sora." Tifa stated. Sora smiled at them.

"There's somebody I want you to meet." Sora motioned for Roxas to come stand with him. The blonde reluctantly did so. Roxas was glad that things had gone smoothly with Cid, and he expected things to go well with Aerith, but Yuffie and Tifa? It was pretty hard to gauge their reactions. Sora sighed when Roxas stayed silent. "His name is Roxas." The three girls offered smiles and 'nice to meet you's before Tifa got deja vu.

"Wait…Roxas…I've heard that name before…"Aerith and Yuffie raised eyebrows and thought back, only to find that the name was familiar to them, too. Aerith was the first to put two and two together. Her eyes widened.

"Sora, is he…?"

"Yeah. Roxas is my nobody." All three girls stared, wide eyed. Tifa shook her head.

"But…Didn't Namine…merge him with you?"

"She did. But when she did, Roxas didn't go away. I had been able to hear him in my head ever since I woke up. He was still alive within me." Aerith shook her head in a failed attempt to clear it.

"But how did he get out?" She asked, sounding every bit as shocked as she looked. Roxas, feeling he wouldn't be able to get a word in any other way, raised his hand. The four others turned to him.

"I didn't get out. Sora asked Namine to _take_ me out." Aerith looked back at Sora and furrowed her brow in concern.

"But why? Won't you be unstable without him?" The words relit the angry fire in Sora's stomach, but he willed himself to stay calm.

"Why wouldn't I? He was suffering, Aerith. What was I supposed to do, leave him in my mind forever? He didn't deserve that. So I went to Namine and she separated us. I don't know what'll happen to me, but if something does, I'll deal with it." Tifa sighed.

"Sora, this is the craziest, most self destructive thing you've ever done. …But I can understand why you did it, and I think you made the right choice."

"Tifa is right." Aerith added with a nod. "You did what you believed was best. And if anything bad happens because of it, we'll be there to help."

"Really?" Sora said, smiling up at her appreciatively.

"Of course." Tifa looked at Yuffie, who was staring at Roxas. "Got anything to add, Yuffie?" Yuffie went into hysterics.

"Leave it to the Leon look-alike to bring home a Cloud clone!" The other two girls raised an eyebrow and took a good look at the boys. They giggled.

"You _do_ look a lot like Leon, Sora…" Aerith noted, patting the brunette's head.

"And Roxas _does_ look like Cloud…" Tifa agreed, running her fingers through the blonde's chocobo style hair. They giggled again. Yuffie took deep breaths to calm herself and put an arm around Sora's shoulders.

"So, are you two gonna go at it like your big brothers?"

"Go at it?" Roxas repeated, raising an eyebrow. Sora turned red.

"Yuffie!" Yuffie put her hands up defensively.

"What? It's an omen, I tell you! Like big brother, like little brother! Or something like that." Roxas, finally understanding what the ninja girl was implying, smirked slyly and hugged Sora around his waist.

"I think I'll get right on that. Nice meeting you, ladies." Roxas said as he pulled Sora towards the entrance to the castle. Aerith blushed, Tifa giggled, and Yuffie wolf whistled. Sora flushed crimson. When they were back inside, Roxas let Sora go and laughed. "Wow, those three are such fangirls."

"Uh…yeah, fangirls…right…" Roxas raised an eyebrow and put a hand on Sora's red cheek.

"You okay there, Sora? You're hot."

"I'm good…Let's go find Leon and Cloud now, alright?"

"Kay." Sora grabbed Roxas's hand and led him towards the training grounds. Roxas, even though for the most part he already knew the castle grounds, let himself be dragged along. Honestly, he kind of liked letting the brunette hold his hand. Sora's hands were warm. A nice contrast from his cold ones. It was little things like not being able to feel the touch of another person that Roxas had missed the most when he was with Sora. That's not to say that being with Sora didn't have a perk or two of its' own. He and Sora had gotten close, regardless of how little they acted like it. And he had a heart to feel with, even if it wasn't his own. The thought made Roxas wonder something: Now that they were separated, could he still feel?

The boys entered the training grounds and were greeted by the welcoming sound of steel on steel. Roxas and Sora watched as Leon and Cloud fought with strong, fluid movements and attacks, each trying to get a hit on the other. Cloud was first to notice their observers. He glanced in their direction and…

_CLANG!_

His sword was on the floor, Leon's sword inches from his throat. Cloud put his hands up in surrender and gestured to their visitors. Leon looked at them and lowered his sword.

"Oh. Hey Sora. Back so soon?"

"Heh, afraid so. Whatcha doin'?"

"Got our work done and got bored. So we sparred a little." Cloud answered. Sora looked down at the very abused looking sword on the floor and in Leon's hand. He sweatdropped.

"Riiight. You _sparred_, and _totally_ didn't try to kill each other. _Sure_."

"Alright, we got too rough. But give us some credit, the castle is still standing." The older brunette said, scratching the back of his head. Sora nodded.

"Whatever you say. I gotta ask you guys something." Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"Like?"

"Do you guys remember when I was asleep?"

"Yeah." They said in unison.

"Do you remember how I woke up?"

"Yeah, Namine joined you and your nobody."

"Right. Well…she kinda took him out of me." Cloud and Leon's eyebrows disappeared into their hairlines.

"Define 'took him out'." The older brunette demanded. Sora sighed.

"He's not in me anymore. He's his own person again." The older two glanced at each other.

"How'd that happen?" Cloud asked in a confused tone. It isn't every day a friend of yours gets split into two different people.

"I dunno, Namine did some kind of witchy thing and got him out of me." Sora replied with a shrug. Leon groaned.

"Great, a second Sora." Sora made an offended noise. Roxas laughed quietly and stepped into their line of sight.

"Actually, Yuffie called me a Cloud clone." The smaller blonde informed them. He had to hold back a fit of hysterics when he saw their shocked faces. Cloud blinked several times. Leon looked from Roxas, to Cloud, and back to Roxas. He smirked and gave Cloud a punch in the shoulder.

"Well whattaya know, he's a carbon copy of Strife, only younger."

"Oh shut it, Leonhart. If he's my carbon copy, then Sora is yours."

"I thought we had established that already."

"_We_ didn't, _Yuffie_ did."

"…This is true." Leon turned to Roxas. "Got a name, mini-Cloud?" Roxas sent Leon a glare.

"It's Roxas, Daddy Leon." Leon raised an eyebrow at the nickname. Sora and Cloud looked at each other and snickered softly.

"Okay, Roxas it is. And don't call me Daddy Leon! I am _not_ his father!" Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you've just been his guardian since he was like ten or twelve and treated him like he was your son." Leon blinked at the smaller blonde. He opened and closed his mouth in a failed attempt to think of something witty to say. Cloud smirked.

"I like this kid." Sora smiled widely and looked at Leon expectantly.

"So he can stay with us?" Leon pondered the question for a minute. Sora pouted at him. Leon chuckled at the expression.

"He can stay."

"YAY!" Sora yelled. He tackle-hugged the older brunette before grabbing Roxas's hand and dragging him away again. Leon sweatdropped. Cloud blinked and tried to process everything he had just seen.

"…You saw the blonde kid too, right?" The blonde asked, looking at Leon but pointing in the direction Roxas and Sora had gone. Leon watched the retreating figures of the two teens.

"Yup. So either we've both gone insane, or there is now a second Sora that looks like you."

"…I think I'd rather admit insanity than have two teenagers running around." Leon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed at Cloud's stereotyping.

"Not all teenagers get sugar high, Cloud."

"No, just all the ones I know."

"…This is also true." Leon said. Cloud had told him that when they were teenagers, Yuffie would (and still did) get hyper off the tiniest amount of sugar. Reno and Tifa would too, if they had enough of it. Whenever any of them had eaten enough sweets, they would bounce off the walls in Yuffie's case, slur like a drunk in Tifa's case, and curse like an old sailor in Reno's case. Sora, on the other hand, did all three and then some. "Let's just agree to keep them both away from sugar." He added sarcastically, knowing full well how impossible of a task that would be.

"No coffee either, just as a precaution."

"Now what's wrong with coffee?"

"Caffeine is just as bad as sugar!"

"…Alrighty then." Leon said before putting a finger to the crease of his lips. "Aren't you just the slightest bit concerned about something other than teenage hyperactivity?"

"Like what?"

"This Roxas kid. We don't know anything about him except that he came from Sora. How do we know he's trustworthy?" Cloud nodded and scratched his temple, a gesture that implied that he was thinking.

"…You trust Sora, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Sora obviously trusts him. That should be enough initiative to give him a chance at the very least."

"…" Leon sighed. "I suppose." The brunette stood and walked out of the training grounds, Cloud following. Their steps quickly fell in line as they headed back to the castle. "But if he ever does anything to betray Sora, I'll beat him to a pulp." Cloud raised an eyebrow at the gunblader and snickered quietly.

"It's stuff like that that makes everyone believe you're related to Sora, _Daddy Leon_." The blonde teased giving Leon a punch in the shoulder. Leon rolled his grayish blue eyes and smirked.

"Yeah yeah, whatever you say, _Papa Cloud_." He said in an equally teasing voice. Cloud glared silently at the brunette and Leon had just enough time to duck to avoid a blow to the head by the flat edge of Cloud's buster sword.

.o.O.o.

A/N- I have returned with another chapter! I apologize for the lateness. (dodges a pillow a reader threw at her) I SAID I WAS SORRY! SHEESH! Blame thanksgiving and the turkey coma it caused. but I'm here now! :D Please review on it, i need feedback to decide how far I'll take this story. Oh, and please take the poll on my profile, too. :3 thankies!


	5. Chocolate and Honey

Sora continued to drag Roxas around the castle, pointing out which rooms belonged to whom, which rooms contained what, and in which room the other residents of the castle could usually be found. But Roxas had tuned the brunette out long ago. His mind kept hovering to a different, more pressing issue. He wasn't one with Sora anymore. That meant he didn't have Sora's heart to share anymore. Had he become a nobody again? When he had left Sora, had his emotions left with him, or did they disappear? Could he still _feel_? Roxas didn't know the answer.

Tis why he was dead silent, unconsciously moving his feet to follow the brunette tugging at his hand.

Sora sighed, relieved, as he finally stopped in front of his own bedroom door. "Well, that's basically the whole castle! Whattaya think?" Roxas didn't reply, instead blankly staring downwards. Sora raised an eyebrow. "Roxas?" The mention of his name snapped the blonde back into reality.

"Huh? Oh, um…the castle is pretty cool…" Roxas managed to get out. He didn't know what else to say. The blonde had basically gone into his own little world after Sora showed him the recreation room, and that was about two hours ago. Sora, being ever observant, furrowed his brow in obvious concern.

"Roxas? Are you alright?" The brunette asked, putting a hand on Roxas's shoulder, as if trying to reassure the blonde that whatever it is, he'd listen. Roxas stared at the hand stoically before slowly moving to cover it with his own.

"I'm fine." Roxas answered, giving a small smile that he knew looked as fake as it felt on his lips. Sora noticed too, and gave the blonde a disbelieving look. "Really, I am." Sora was less than convinced. He opened his bedroom door, ushered Roxas inside, and shut it behind him. Roxas took a moment simply to gawk. Sora's bedroom didn't look like a teenager's bedroom by any standards. His walls painted a beautiful shade of cobalt, with white molding along the floor and ceiling. The floor was covered with soft carpeting that was a shade darker than the walls. The furniture was also white. The king sized canopy bed had translucent white curtains, drawn open to reveal forest green bed sheets that somehow managed to compliment the white and various shades of blue around the room. A desk was under a row of three long windows, and a dresser was pushed against the wall next to the bed. Actually, the only thing that gave any indication of teenage inhabitance was the clothes scattered untidily across the floor, and a few posters of rock bands. The blonde continued to gape like a fish until Sora tugged on his sleeve. The brunette pointed to the bed, a silent demand for Roxas to sit. He did, and Sora took his place next to him.

"I'll give you one chance to tell me yourself before I resort to mind probing." Sora muttered lowly. He didn't want to read Roxas's mind to find out what was wrong with him. He would feel much better if the blonde would trust him enough to tell him himself. They were basically twins, after all.

"I…Sora…" Roxas said brokenly. He knew exactly what was wrong with him, but it was much harder to get out of his mouth than he'd thought it'd be. With a sigh, the blonde decided it would be best to be blunt. "Sora, I don't think I can feel anymore." Sora raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sure you can." He poked Roxas's cheek. "You felt that, didn't you?" Roxas rolled his eyes and swatted Sora's hand away. "Not what I mean, numbskull. I don't think I can feel _emotions_ anymore." It took a while for those words to soak in. When they did, Sora's eyes went wide.

"Are you being serious?" He asked, feeling a bit shaky. Roxas gave a nod in response. "You haven't felt anything since we've been separated?" Roxas shook his head. Sora was stunned. It hadn't been too long since Namine took them apart…but he definitely would've felt something by now, right? There was no way this could be real. Sora knew this could happen, but he wasn't any more prepared for it. There's no way it could be true. Roxas just…was feeling things without realizing it. Yeah, that works. With that in mind, Sora's mental light bulb clicked on. He smirked deviously (or at least as deviously as his innocence would allow) and gave a soft chuckle, just loud enough for Roxas to hear.

"What's so funny?" Roxas asked, sounding as emotionless as he supposedly felt. At this, Sora outright went into hysterics.

"Haha, you are!"

"…I did something funny?" Sora wiped the tears that had developed from his fake laughter, and took deep breaths to "calm down".

"Nah, you didn't do anything funny, I just think it's funny that this surprises you!"

"_Pardon_?" The blonde demanded, raising an eyebrow at Sora. Sora chuckled again.

"Dude, you shoulda known this was coming! What's the big deal? You went how long without emotions before we merged?" Next thing Sora knew, he was pinned to his bed, a fuming Roxas on top of him.

"Sora, just shut up. You have _no_ idea what being without emotions is like. And then I get a taste of them through you, and now they've been taken from me before I even got the chance to enjoy them for myself! And you have the nerve to ask 'what's the big deal'? You wanna know what the big deal is, Sora? The _big deal_ is that now I feel like I'm missing something really important!" Sora grinned up at Roxas like a maniac.

"Can I just say some things?"

"WHAT?" the blonde snarled. Sora chuckled quietly.

"You were embarrassed when Riku caught you eavesdropping, you were sad when I mentioned Axel on the way back to Radiant Gardens, you were happy when Cid said he was gonna teach you how to pilot a gummiship, and right now, you're _furious_ at me."

"HELL YEAH I'M FURIOUS AT YOU!" Sora smiled wider. Roxas just blinked. "I'm…mad…?" He smiled softly. "…I'm mad." Roxas let Sora go and returned to a sitting position, face buried in his hands. "A fluke. What if it's a fluke?" Sora raised a brow.

"_Four_ flukes?"

"It could happen." Roxas replied. Much to Sora's dismay, his voice had regained its' emotionless tone. He scratched the back of his head before he had another light bulb moment. He got up and pulled Roxas to his feet with him. Sora led the blonde to his dresser, which had a large mirror in it.

"I'll give you proof you can see then."

"What do you me-" Roxas's sentence was cut off by lips softly moving over his own. Needless to say, the blonde was shocked silent as he felt all his blood move upwards. Roxas wasn't sure if it was the headrush or the kiss itself that made his eyes slip closed. Sora pulled back and observed his handiwork with a smile. He grabbed Roxas's shoulders and turned him so he could look at himself in the mirror. "Behold, the all telling blush, the ultimate sign of embarrassment!" Roxas stared at himself. Sora was right, he was indeed a shade of crimson that definitely did not belong on a human being's face.

"What…the…hell…" Roxas murmered, holding a finger to his lips. They were tingling. Sora laughed quietly.

"Believe me now? You do have emotions. And I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to enjoy them. You taste like honey, by the way." Sora gave Roxas a wink, and the blonde felt his face heat more. "Why don't we head to the hot spring? I need a bath right about now…" He said, rummaging through the drawers of his bureau for two clean towels. Roxas was still looking at his lips in the mirror. He unconsciously licked them, and was surprised to find that they tasted faintly of chocolate. The blonde decided he liked the taste and smiled softly before giving his attention back to Sora.

"This place has a hot spring?" Sora nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! I told you, this place has _everything_!" Sora tossed the towel over Roxas's head. "Now c'mon, hot mineral water works wonders." The brunette hopped merrily out of the room and towards the spring. Roxas hooked the towel around his neck and mindlessly followed, but the only thing he could think about was how good chocolate and honey would taste together.

.o.O.o.

Somewhere in the castle, Yuffie, Tifa, and Aerith were shrieking like the fangirls they were, watching the footage from Sora's bugged room. "Best. Idea. Ever." Yuffie giggled out. The other two could only nod in agreement.

.o.O.o.

A/N- wow, this is the first time I've updated in nearly a month. I apologize for the lateness. (Ducks just in time to avoid a steak knife) GODAMMIT STOP TRYING TO KILL ME, PEOPLE! I have an actual excuse this time! My flash drive went to the great computer store in the sky due to one of my stupid mistakes, and all of my stories went with it. T.T So I've had to re-type everything that was on the flash drive that I hadn't uploaded here yet, this included. And I couldn't exactly remember what I had written, so this chapter is shorter than the others, and probably not as good. I apologize once more. (looks around nervously for thrown objects) There are three things you can do to make me feel better, cuz I'm still brooding over the death of my flash drive, even though my friend insists that I'm now an official writer cuz I lost all my work at once.

One- leave a review. Good or bad, I just want feedback. I'm still not decided on how far to take this story, but the kiss is a good start, right?

Two- go on my profile and take the poll that resides there. Oh, and just for the record, last I checked Roxas was in first, with Zexion in second and Sora and Axel tied for third, but that was just on like twenty votes.

Three- Buy me a new flash drive! . (Dodges a chainsaw) I WAS JUST KIDDING! O.o'


	6. An Old Friend Returns

It was an average day for the Radiant Garden Restoration Comittee. Three patrols every day; one in the morning, another in the afternoon, and the last at night. The point of them was simple: find and destroy any Heartless that may have gotten into the world, along with keeping an eye on the surrounding area for anything that could be hazardous or may need repairing or replacement. It was afternoon now, about one p.m., and spearheading the patrol that day were Cloud and Yuffie.

As much as Cloud liked Yuffie, he didn't in the slightest enjoy being paired with her for patrols. Yuffie would take every opportunity to titter about something irrelevant, and his forced presence also gave her a captive audience. Even now, she was a few yards ahead, walking backwards to look at him while she spouted about nonsense.

"Y'know Roxas, right? Well, Cid was telling me that he's like a prodigy with technology and stuff! And Leon's been teaching him how to fight. I heard Roxas even managed to beat him hand-to-hand! Aerith's been showing him how to cook, too. The veggie lasagna we ate for dinner last night? He made it! It's so not fair, everyone's been teaching him stuff 'cept us! You think Aerith or Leon would get mad at me if I taught him how to be a thief?" Yuffie said in a huff, breathing a miraculous total of twice during her mini-speech on Roxas's progress. Cloud opted to ignore the ninja's rants. He had to be observant for the both of them, since he knew Yuffie was, in a way, neglecting her duties.

And so, twas a big shock to Cloud when Yuffie raised a warning call first.

"Cloud, get over here! There's a wounded man in the alley; he's bleeding bad from Heartless inflicted injuries!" She yelled before disappearing around a corner. Cloud silently cursed and ran after her. Of all the days to leave his potion bag at the castle...

He turned and saw Yuffie crouching beside the injured man. Running up to them, he asessed the man. He appeared to be conscious, and was sitting with his arms wrapped around his bent knees, his head resting between them and hidden from view. His clothes, a Linkin Park T-shirt and a pair of black jeans, were torn to shreds and bloodsoaked. Cloud confirmed the injuries as that of a Heartless's claws. The blonde shook his shoulder, careful not to open the various slashes any further.

"Sir, wake up. Can you move?" Cloud asked. Beside him, Yuffie searched her knapsack for cure materia that she eventually realized she didn't have with her. The man lifted his head a bit, a small spark of recognition flashing on his face. He looked at Cloud with lifeless, tear filled eyes.

"Y-you...you look like...an old f-friend of mine...but older..." He slowly moved his hand to cover Cloud's on his shoulder, oblivious that the action made the wounds on his arm bleed faster. Cloud tried not to flinch at the freezing cold touch. "B-but...you aren't him...I...I h-haven't been g-gone that long...h-have I?" He tilted his head and smiled at Cloud sadly before passing out, body going limp and slumping forward. Cloud caught him before the man could fall over.

"He needs medical attention. Call Aerith and tell her we're heading back early with an emergency." He said, turning his head to look at Yuffie.

"Way ahead of you," The ninja replied, her phone already at her ear and ringing. Cloud picked the wounded man up bridal style and ran to the castle as quickly as he dared, knowing that any excess motion could make the man die of bloodloss alone.

The man in Cloud's arms didn't stir as the blonde moved; he was too far gone from reality to move, or do much else. In a dream-like haze as he walked the very border of life and death, only two things escaped his lips.

"...Roxas...Sora..."

.o.O.o.

Roxas and Sora walked side by side in silence through the gardens, each holding bags of various groceries, as requested by Aerith. Roxas kept his head down as he walked. Sora furrowed his brow in concern, but kept his mouth shut. He knew from experience that sometimes, it's way better to leave the blonde to his thoughts, and offer a shoulder if it's needed. But to the brunette's dismay, the shoulder wasn't asked for, verbally or mentally. Roxas let out a discontented sigh, and Sora drew the line. He turned so he was walking backwards in front of Roxas.

"Are you okay?" He asked, crossing his arms. Roxas looked up at him, sighed again, and averted his eyes.

"I...Something just...doesn't feel right about today." Roxas answered, looking everywhere, anywhere, but at Sora. He wasn't completely lying, something did seem off, but he knew that wasn't the answer Sora wanted. The brunette furrowed his brow again.

"You sure that's it? I haven't felt anything. Is there something else you just don't wanna tell me?"

Roxas was silent for a few moments. Then, forcing himself to meet Sora's penetrating eyes, he gave one of the fake smile he'd gotten so good at wearing. "I'm okay, really. Just a bit paranoid, nothing else."

But alas, Sora always knew when Roxas lied to him.

Roxas was lying through his teeth about being okay, and they both knew it. But Sora knew better than anyone else that if he pushed the topic, Roxas would withdraw from him, and if he read Roxas's mind to find out, the blonde would just plain be pissed off. Sora sighed.

"You know," He began, looking over his shoulder (for he was still walking backwards) to make sure he wasn't going to collide with anything, "you can tell me anything. I don't like it when you go all Honey-Bunches-Of-Angst on me. It makes me feel..." His voice trailed off. How did it make him feel to see Roxas sad and worried? What did the blonde mean to him? How did Roxas make him feel? Sora couldn't answer; he just didn't know.

Roxas sighed and smiled, softly but genuinely. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, I'm just feeling really strange today." Roxas gave a truthful answer, and hoped that Sora didn't press any further than he already had. Sora, seeming content with Roxas's reluctant honesty, smiled widely and moved to pat the blonde's shoulder.

Sadly, the movement made the boys trip over each other, Sora landing on his back with Roxas on his hands and knees over him, keeping him effectively caged.

The boys stared at each other in shock. Roxas made no move to stand, and Sora made no move to escape. They were frozen in place. And the strange thing? Neither wanted the other to move. Sora was blushing brightly, his heart beating out of his chest as he looked at Roxas almost prowling above him. Roxas was an even darker shade of red than Sora was.

They had promised each other that they would never read the other's mind unless it was an absolute emergency, but if they had bothered to prod at the other's mind even the tiniest bit, they would have realized they were thinking the same thing.

_I...I want to kiss him...It'd be so easy to steal one...He's so close to me...Why do I want to kiss him? Why do I feel like this at all?_

It took a while for Roxas to gather his wits enough to realize he was leaning in to do exactly what his mind was telling him to do. He shook his head furiously and stood abruptly. Sora's clenched eyes opened at that instant. He took the hand Roxas offered to him, reluctantly letting it go when he was off the floor.

"S-Sora...um, I forgot, Leon gave me some munny to go clothes shopping earlier..." Roxas stuttered nervously. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd nearly _kissed _another boy! He needed time to think, he needed time away from Sora.

"Really? Uh...Maybe...I should go too...?" Sora responded, embarassed. He'd seen what Roxas was about to do, and he was about to _let _him! Nothing in his body had told him to push him off and get away. Instead, every fiber of his being was screaming at him to _initiate _the kiss before Roxas did. Something was definately wrong with him...

"No!" Roxas answered quickly. Perhaps too quickly, as Roxas felt his heart twist painfully when sadness and rejection crept into Sora's blue eyes. "I mean, I'm supposed to be shopping for me, and I'm pretty sure you forcing me into a changing room with a whole rack worth of outfits wouldn't count."

Roxas's words didn't make Sora feel any better about being pushed away, but he smiled as brightly as he could manage regardless. "If you say so. I'll tell Aerith you're gonna be late getting home, kay?"

"Kay." Roxas said, and halfheartedly ran away from Sora, back to the shopping district of Radiant Garden. He let tears trail down his cheeks now that he knew Sora couldn't see him. But he wasn't crying for himself. Oh no, he was crying because of a realization.

He could feel Sora's emotions.

It wasn't his own emotions that was making him cry; It was the fact that he could feel Sora's sadness, and knew deep down, that he was the one who caused it. How he'd caused it, he didn't know, but somehow, he'd hurt Sora.

The thought of it made his stomach flip in his body.

Sora wiped the tears streaming down his own face. He'd come to the same realization, and the same effects came from it. He felt Roxas's sadness, and couldn't help but blame himself. Drying his eyes and schooling his face into its' usual cheery appearence, he picked up his bags, along with the ones Roxas had left behind, and made his way back to the castle.

.o.O.o.

Aerith giggled quietly as she set a plate of food down on the kitchen table. The mystery man grinned up at her appreciatively and dug in. In actuality, it was his fourth plate, but Aerith had said he could eat his fill. The mystery man had soon discovered that Aerith was a lady of many talents. She had been the one to heal him, and now he could walk, run, jump, skip, hell, he'd even done a few cartwheels and handstands once he realized he had the strength to do so. And then now he'd just been served the best food he'd tasted in a really long time. He'd quickly come to the conclusion that she was the brunette Wonder Woman. She set a glass of water next to the plate and laughed again.

"It's been a long time since I've seen someone make one of my meals look that good," She said, sparing a quick glance at Leon, Cid, Yuffie, Tifa, and Cloud, who were also eating dinner at the time. They were, however, taking noticeably less portions. They all, at least somewhat, agreed that the man needed more to eat than they did. He was thin; definately too thin to be healthy. And so, the other residents were pacing themselves, just to be sure the mystery man got as much food in his body as he could, even though they all knew there'd still be plenty left for all of them. The man swallowed another mouthful and chased it down with half of the water, exhaling deeply afterwards.

"You kidding? It's delicious~!" The man praised, finishing off the contents of his fourth plate. He shook his head when Aerith offered him fifths. He looked at Cloud and smiled. "Guess I owe you guys some answers now, huh?"

"You bet you do!" Yuffie yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him. Leon sighed.

"Ignore her," Yuffie made a 'hmph' sound, but Leon ignored her completely, "You aren't from this world, are you?"

The man shook his head. "Nope."

"Why are you here, then?" Cloud asked.

"Better question: How'd you get here without a gummiship?" Tifa added.

The man scratched the back of his head. "The truth isn't gonna make much sense, but I'll give it anyway, since you guys saved my life and all," The residents of the room listened intently. The man shrugged. "I really don't know." All was silent.

"How the hell can ya not know?" Cid questioned, finally breaking the silence that had settled.

The man shrugged again and grinned sheepishly. "Okay, bear with me, cuz I'm not making this up, but I honestly have no idea how I got here or why I'm here to begin with. I don't even know where _here _is. And technecally, I'm supposed to be dead." Everyone blinked at him.

"With your injuries, I'm surprised you aren't dead." Cloud said. Yuffie and Aerith nodded in agreement.

The man shook his head. "Not what I mean. I mean, I'm literally supposed to be dead. As in I died before I appeared here. Twice, actually." All was silent yet again.

"Aww great, we got a loon on our hands." Cid muttered.

Aerith shook her head. "No...he isn't lying." She kneeled in front of the man. "You're in Radiant Garden. Does that sound familiar to you?"

The man smiled. "Really? Radiant Garden? I lived here when I was little!" Then his expression sobered into one that could almost be called remorseful. "This was where I died the first time, too. Right in the garden...some damned Heartless got me..." Then, as if he'd never mentioned his death, he grinned again. "So I'm in the castle? Cool, I only saw the inside of it once. Hey, can I do some lookin' around later?" The man's request was ignored completely.

"You were attacked by Heartless? Then how're you..." Leon trailed off, not really sure how to phrase the question.

"I toldja, I've died twice already. See?" The man lifted up his shirt, revealing a jagged and discolored scar marring dead center of his ribcage. He pulled his shirt down again and looked up at Leon with a solemn expression. "I had a heart. Heartless attacked me, took my heart, and I died. I came back after that somehow, but I didn't have a heart. I died then, too, but that was sorta my own fault. And then now I came back a third time. And if this beating in my chest is anything to go by, I have a heart again." He brought his hand over his newfound heart, enjoying the pulse beneath his fingers while he had it. Aerith patted his knee comfortingly.

"What's your name?" She asked.

The man blinked, then chuckled. "Oh, right. Sorry, haven't had much need for manners where I've been. I'm-"

"A-Axel?"

Everyone turned to see a shocked Sora standing in the doorway. He dropped the grocery bags he'd been holding and cautiously walked into the room.

"Aww, you _did _memorize me!" Axel said, batting his eyelashes jokingly and grinning at Sora fondly.

Sora blinked and shook his head vigorously. He turned to adress the other people in the room. "Just so I know I haven't lost my mind, you all see the tall, skinny guy with neon red hair that's spikier than mine and Cloud's put together, too, right?" Everyone nodded. "Just checking."

Axel gasped. "_Sora_, how yould you even _think _such a thing?" He paused for dramatic effect. "My hair is _not _neon red! That'd be too gaudy. I think it's more like fire red, or at least apple red, but not _neon_!" He laughed, and Sora laughed with him. Axel turned to adress the other occupants of the kitchen. "You think I could get a minute with the little hero here?" They eyed each other wearily before looking at Sora, who nodded. Reluctantly, everyone filed out of the kitchen to go about their buisness elsewhere.

Axel and Sora were alone.

Axel smiled, small but genuine. "Okay, they're gone, you can glomp me now." And glomp Sora did. Before Axel got the chance to open his arms, he was throttled by the brunette, and quite nearly thrown off the chair he was sitting on. Chuckling at the boy's eagerness, he returned Sora's hug just as tightly, and was distantly grateful that Aerith had been so thorough when treating his wounds. He furrowed his brow when he heard the brunette sobbing into his shoulder. Axel rubbed his back soothingly. "Hey, none of that, you hear me? I actually have a heart now, so if you're all teary eyed I'll start bawling too, and I don't think that'd be a pretty sight." He muttered, holding Sora tighter and trying to ignore the unfamiliar sting that was making his eyes water. Sora stepped out of Axel's arms and wiped his eyes. "Someone's gotten taller," Axel mused, knowing that Sora hated the fact that he was short.

Sora chuckled and looked at Axel through disbelieving eyes. "I'm not dreaming this, am I? _Please _tell me I'm not imagining you," He said lowly. The brunette reached out and pinched Axel's arm, hard.

Axel sucked air through his teeth and rubbed his arm. "Ow! Jeez, Sora, you're supposed to pinch _yourself_, not the other person!" He flicked Sora on the forehead with his free hand.

Sora went into hysterics. "Hahaha, it really is you!"

"'Course it is! Who else could I be, the Easter Bunny?" He said, laughing along with him.

Eventually regaining some sort of composure, Sora smiled widely at him. "It's good to have you back," Then his mind flickered to the one place he hadn't wanted it to go.

Roxas.

"Um...there's something you should know, Axel," He muttered, averting his eyes.

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what's that?" Sora stayed silent. Axel put a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon, Sora, don't keep secrets. It isn't good for you, or your innocent boy image." Sora looked up at Axel, but his eyes instead went over his shoulder. He stared at the doorway with wide eyes. The redhead waved a hand in front of his face. "Yoo hoo, Earth to short stuff, do you copy?" Sora shook his head and, with a shaky hand, pointed to the doorway. Axel turned and gasped.

There stood Roxas, tears streaming down his face, mouth covered with both hands in the perfect expression of horror.

"Roxas...?" Axel whispered. Roxas shook his head and ran away. Axel looked at the doorway, to the shocked brunette, and back to the doorway again. "Roxas, wait!" Axel ran after the blonde.

Sora stood, frozen in place, as Roxas turned tail and ran, Axel following close behind. He was conflicted. This wasn't his problem, it was Roxas and Axel's. The two had been best friends. Sora didn't have a place in that category. His presence would just make things worse. With that thought in mind, Sora found his legs and walked slowly in the opposite direction that the other two boys had gone. He wouldn't get involved unless Roxas needed him.

A wave of pure despair crashed through Sora's body. He fell to his knees for only a moment before standing and running to find Axel and Roxas. He had said he wouldn't get involved unless Roxas needed him.

But now he realized he had to get involved, because _he _needed _Roxas_.

.o.O.o.

A/N- dang, it's been a month since my last update. I apologize for that. Writers block be a terrible thing. X( And while I was trying to figure where I wanted to go with this story, something I admittingly haven't figured out yet and are therefore open to suggestions, plot bunnies for other stories came and laid their little bunny eggs in my brain, so now I'm just overwhelmed. I think I have...six chapter stories up now, and I'm not sure how to handle them all. I'll figure it out though, have no fear, updates will just slow down for a bit.

I thank all of my lovely reviewers. i appreciate you all. ^^ Oh, and Kelim, I'm not sure why Sora is at Radiant Garden. I hadn't thought about it at the time. Now that I think about it though, I did mention something about Leon swamping Sora with work for the Restoration Committee, so let's just assume that Leon recruited him for some sort-of-but-not child labor. XD

99rain99- you're welcome! I'm glad you love it so much, and there's more to come now that I'm out of my writing rut. :3

jade-song- I know! XD Took me long enough, right? Don't worry, I'll keep it funny, and now that Axel's back in the picture, he can be comic relief. ^^

OmniaVanitas- Glad you like it. And I know, isn't evil Sora just adowable? X3 It will indeed be a Soroku. Have no fear, it hasn't become an AkuSora or an AkuRoku. Axel is there for a reason that will be revealed in the next chappie. :3 If you haven't figured out his purpose already from Sora's behavior. XD And you might just get some Seme Sora action, if you're a good fangirl and keep the nice comments coming. :)

Froggiecool- I know! I realized that one literally about an hour after I'd posted the chappie, and I was kicking myself for the rest of the day for not including it! XD But I'm okay. I already included one about him being sad about something, right? :)

AND A BIG THANK YOU TO ARIEL SCOTTSIN! :D She's the one who helped me find the inspiration to write this chapter, and for that I am forever grateful. Hope you like the giftfic I'm writing for you. Love ya, hun. ;3


	7. Intentional Accidents

Sora ran through the halls of the castle, anxiously looking around for any sign that would indicate Roxas's presence. But alas, his efforts were in vain. Sora sighed. _It's just like Cloud said... _he thought sadly.

_It had happened after the incident with Roxas in the gardens. Sora treaded up the various steps that led to the castle, only to be stopped by a voice just before he pushed open the gate._

_"You should be more careful, Sora," The voice said. Sora squeaked and whipped his head in the voice's direction, locking eyes with none other than Cloud Strife. He was standing in the shade provided underneath a nearby tree._

_"Oh! Um, Cloud...uh...h-how much did you see?" He asked, scratching the back of his head and looking at the ground._

_"I saw enough," The blonde replied. "Are you really that naive?"_

_Sora pouted. "Am not!"_

_"Then maybe you're just too dense to realize when you're in love?"_

_Sora's eyes widened, his jaw going slack._

_"Ahaha, ah, that's a good one, Cloud," The brunette said, laughing nervously._

_Cloud shook his head. "It's been obvious to everyone since the two of you split a few months ago."_

_"...Everyone?" He repeated._

_"Everyone." Cloud said, nodding. "The only ones that didn't know were you and Roxas. Question is," He stepped out from the shadows and up to Sora, "are you going to keep it that way?"_

_Sora was speechless. "I...but I...I don't...I mean...he's a...and I'm a...I just don't!" He managed to stutter. The brunette mentally facepalmed himself for not being able to form decent sentences. Cloud had caught him off guard._

_"There's no point in lying to yourself at this point. And I'll even let you in on something."_

_"Oh yeah? What?"_

_"Things around here are going to get very interesting, very fast. And at the center of it all will be you, Roxas, and an old friend of yours. If I can't get you to realize your feelings, he will. But by then, it might just be too late." Cloud tapped his chin and looked away from Sora, smirking. "I wonder what'll be happening now..." He said before snapping his fingers and disappearing in a flurry of black smoke._

_Sora stood there in shock. He didn't love Roxas. He couldn't love Roxas...could he? They were basically the same person! They had shared a body, a brain, a heart. They had shared everything, and that had held true even after they had separated. Their hearts and minds were connected. Sora loved the bond he had with Roxas, but that didn't mean he loved Roxas himself...did it?_

_'Love isn't who you can see yourself with. It's who you can never see yourself without.'_

_The quote drifted through Sora's mind and stuck there, replaying like a holy mantra. Could he see himself without Roxas? Could he see himself not goofing off with him, not training with him, not smiling with him and laughing with him and caring about him?_

_"No, no I can't." Sora said to himself, smiling softly. He silently pledged to confess his newfound discovery the next time he and the blonde were alone together as he stepped through the gateway to not only the castle, but that of his fate as well. Both gates shut behind him with a menacing clang._

_This is what he meant...so am I too late?_ Sora wondered. The brunette wasn't sure if love was the right word for what he felt for Roxas, but until Sora found another explanation, love was what it was. He hadn't stopped running, and was now searching halls that he'd been through before. Sora dashed through the hall that held his and Roxas's bedrooms.

_CRASH_!

Sora stopped dead in his tracks. Turning, he noticed that the door to Roxas's room was open slightly. Just wide enough for the brunette to peer inside. It was begging him to look, and against his better judgement, Sora answered its' call and observed the scene within it.

.o.O.o.

"Stop following me!" Roxas yelled as he dashed through the castle with Axel on his heels.

"Then stop running!" The redhead yelled back. Roxas rounded a corner and got to his bedroom. He opened it and slipped inside, slamming it shut behind him.

Or at least, he tried to slam it closed.

Axel was too fast. He held the door open as Roxas struggled to close it. The redhead had more weight to him than Roxas did, but the blonde put up a valiant effort. Roxas tried to shut the door until his arms gave out and fell to his sides, spent and useless from the strain. Axel entered the room and kicked the door partially closed. "Roxas, why'd you run? Aren't you happy to see me?" He said, eyebrows furrowed in concern and chest tight with hurt.

Roxas shook his head and took a step back. "No, I'm not! You aren't Axel!"

"What?" Axel took a step closer to the blonde, who took another step back. "Rox, how can you say tha-"

"No! Stay away from me!"

Axel moved closer. "Roxas, please-"

Roxas moved back. "No, I won't listen to you! You aren't Axel! I saw Axel die!" Tears streamed freely down his cheeks.

Axel again stepped toward the blonde, who again backed up. "Dammit, Roxas, listen to-"

"I won't! You aren't him! I know you aren't! He's long gone!"

"But I-"

"STOP IT! YOU AREN'T AXEL!" The blonde clenched his eyes, making more tears leave them. "No one can be Axel but Axel, and he died to save Sora! So just leave me alo-"

Axel was through with words. He hugged Roxas tightly before the blonde could finish his sentence. Roxas gasped and fruitlessly fumbled for an escape. His fingers brushed a small vase of red roses, and before he knew what he was doing...

_CRASH_!

"LET ME GO!" He had broken the vase over Axel's head. Axel didn't even flinch. He just hugged Roxas tighter, oblivious of the bleeding gash on his forehead from the ceramic shards.

"The WINNER stick,"

Roxas's eyes widened.

"The night you left the Organization, you left a winning ice cream stick in a white envelope on my windowsill." Axel moved one hand away from Roxas's back to dig in his pocket. "I've had it with me ever since then. Didn't have the heart to trade it in," The redhead smiled softly at his own lame pun. He pulled out a wooden stick with the word "WINNER" written on it in brown, capital letters.

Roxas stared into space, shocked. He slowly, almost cautiously, wrapped his arms around Axel's waist and rested his forehead against his neck.

Axel chuckled quietly. "Do you remember now? You said you'd always have me memorized, after all."

Roxas couldn't answer, but Axel felt the blonde nod into his shoulder.

"Y-you...A-Ax-Axel...H-how...?" Roxas stuttered out. The sobs wracking his body and his cracking voice were breaking his sentences. Axel rubbed Roxas's back soothingly.

"I don't know why, but I couldn't be happier about seeing you again. Roxas, look at me."

Roxas shut his eyes and halfheartedly shook his head.

"I-if I'm d-dr-dreaming...w-when I look u-up...y-you'll..."

"I'm never disappearing again." The redhead whispered. He lifted Roxas's chin. "Please, Roxas, look at me. There's something I want to do."

Reluctantly, his eyes fluttered open and stared into pits of aqua green.

"W-what?"

"The last time I saw you, in Twilight Town, I couldn't stop you from...well, you know. After that, I promised myself if I ever could see you again, I'd tell you what I never did when I had the chance." Roxas blinked, confused, and Axel chuckled. "I always did suck with words. That was Zexy's thing. But what I'm trying to say is somewhere along the lines of "I love you, Roxas"."

Before Roxas had time to comprehend what Axel had just admitted, the felt the pyro's lips over his own. He flushed red, but relaxed, letting his arms curl around Axel's neck as he moved his lips experimentally against the redhead's. When they pulled away, Axel was smiling, and Roxas was struggling to catch his breath. The redhead chuckled.

"How long are you gonna stand there, short stuff?" Sora gulped as Axel pulled the door fully open, making him fall to the floor with a yelp. He looked at Roxas, to Axel, and back to Roxas before standing and running out of the room. Roxas watched with a concerned expression. Axel, face completely straight, turned to look at Roxas.

"...Do you think he saw...?" The blonde began.

Axel nodded. "He was crying."

Roxas' breath caught in his throat. "B-but why would he be...?"

The redhead sighed. "Go find him and ask why. But I dunno whether or not you'll like his answer."

Roxas dashed out of the room without even a second thought.


End file.
